Marshmallows
by surferscout
Summary: Nobody ever said that love was going to be easy. Liley. R&R.
1. Shock

_**A/N**_- I have no idea where I'm going with this. I've been horribly busy and I haven't written anything in a while. Hopefully you like; please leave a review, regardless. Thanks!

_**Disclaimer**_: I don't own Hannah Montana. Such is life.

Miley sat at her desk, doing the history homework she had been putting off since last Thursday which was due tomorrow. She had her back to the open window, which offered a cool, salty ocean breeze, a pleasant change from the normally humid Malibu air. It was late; the last time Miley had looked at the clock, it was 11:09. Procrastination was definitely Miley's weakness. That, and…

Suddenly, Miley felt a pair of small, warm hands on her shoulders. She didn't jump or even turn around; she knew those hands. Miley stood up slowly, her knees buckling a bit when she heard her name whispered gently. The next thing she knew, a slightly shorter, feminine body was pressed into her back, and the pink-and-black-fingernailed hands were grazing Miley's midsection.

The history homework was instantly forgotten as Miley turned around for a loving embrace. Lilly grinned and delicately kissed Miley. Distractions were always welcome, especially if they were of the Lilly variety.

Miley brushed a strand of blonde hair behind the other girl's ear. Lilly was wearing white board shorts, a rainbow belt (_Subtle_, Miley thought), and a perfectly tight light blue polo shirt. After staring at her girlfriend for more than her fair share of time, Miley brought their lips together again for a longer, harder kiss. She hooked her thumbs into Lilly's belt and pulled her even closer. "Am I interrupting your, uh, homework?" Lilly said with some difficulty, a devilish smile playing on her face.

"Nope," Miley said thickly, her lips grazing Lilly's ear. The blonde shivered. They kissed for what seemed like an eternity, barely pausing for breath. Lilly slipped her hand into Miley's shirt, her fingers locating the brunette's bra clasp in record time. Miley smiled into the kiss; Lilly sure was talented.

At that instant, there was a sharp knock on the door, followed by Robbie Ray's voice: "Miles, I know you're workin' hard in there, so I made you a cup of my famous Loco Hot Cocoa, with the little marshmallows so you don't-" The doorknob turned.

"Shit," Miley hissed, jumping away from Lilly. But her father was already standing in the now-open doorway, an ashen look on his face. The hand holding the mug relaxed a little, allowing some hot chocolate and a marshmallow to slosh to the floor.

Nobody breathed. Miley dragged her eyes to the clock, which read 11:43. Not that it mattered. Time seemed to be frozen, at least in Miley's bedroom. In the rest of the world, the time changed to 11:44.

Lilly spoke first, her voice climbing an octave like it always did when she was nervous. "Uh, okay, Mr. S, I'll just let myself out…" she made to pass Miley's father, who was still standing in the doorframe. But he didn't move. His eyes were glazed, and his lips were parted. He made a sound, as if to speak, but nothing came out.

Finally, Robbie Ray set the mug down on Miley's bedside table, his hand shaking. "I'm goin' out," he said simply, his voice gruff and deeply emotional. He strode down the hallway. Miley and Lilly heard him jog down the stairs, then the slam of the screen door, then the ignition of his truck. Miley finally breathed out.

Lilly's face was white, and she looked from Miley to the door. Miley just stared down at the floor. "What've I done, Lils?" Her blue eyes sparkled with tears, and Lilly felt a sharp pang in her heart.

Lilly shook her head. "Nothing, Miley. I-I'm sure he'll be back. He just needs to…think." Even as she said this, she looked uncertain.

Miley didn't say anything. Finally, she raised her head and looked at Lilly with a painful expression on her face. "What if he doesn't?"

Lilly crossed the room and enveloped Miley's body in a tender hug. This time, there was no sexual tension; only comfort. The blonde didn't break the embrace, even when Miley began to shake and her tears fell wet on Lilly's shoulder.


	2. Crash

_**A/N**_- Kind of a short chapter; hopefully still interesting. The plot thickens…

Miley walked to school alone the following day, leaving early so she could take the long route, which went by the beach. As she walked, she stared down at her feet, which were clad in the black-and-white-checked canvas slip-ons Lilly had gotten her for her birthday. In each of the little white boxes, Lilly had drawn a heart in red marker. The blonde had claimed that it only took twenty minutes to do them all, but Miley knew it had taken her longer. Despite the events of the night before, something in Miley's heart leaped when she thought of Lilly. But that brief glimmer happiness was instantly replaced by a feeling of worry.

Suddenly, Miley saw a second pair of feet walking alongside hers. Without looking, she knew whose they were. Shoe-gifting wasn't just Lilly's thing; Miley had given the blonde red high-tops the day after they had started going out, because that was Lilly's favorite color. Little did Miley know that her girlfriend would begin to wear them everywhere; Lilly had even written "Property of Miley" in tiny letters on the heels.

Miley felt a slender arm around her shoulders, and she flooded with warmth at the contact. "How ya holdin' up?" Lilly asked softly.

"He wasn't there when I got up this morning," Miley sighed, leaning her head slightly on Lilly's shoulder.

The blonde was silent for several long moments, then: "Did you get your history homework done?"

Miley looked oddly at Lilly, who was smiling slightly. "No, but—"

"We don't need to go to class if you didn't do your homework. Besides, I don't think you got much sleep last night." Despite everything, Lilly broke into a real smile.

Finally, Miley realized what Lilly was talking about. "Oh…" she said, looking at Lilly carefully to make sure she wasn't joking.

"Let's go, Princess," Lilly chirped, doing an about-face with her arm still around Miley's shoulders. They began to walk back in the direction of Miley's house. After a few moments of surprisingly comfortable silence, Miley spoke.

"Do you think we'll get in trouble for this?" The brunette sounded worried.

"Noooo," Lilly said over-confidently, to which Miley responded with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, maybe a little," Lilly said, her voice getting softer. "But I don't care. I just want to be with you today." After a while, they reached Miley's house. Jackson was just getting into his sub-compact to leave for school. He acknowledged the girls with a slight nod and a nervous look.

"He looks upset," Lilly whispered. "I wonder if he knows where your dad is?" But Jackson had already sped out of the driveway.

Lilly shrugged. "I think we should wait here. In case your dad comes home," she said reassuringly.

Miley didn't respond. She recognized the scared, hopeless look on Jackson's face, even though she had only seen it once before; on the day of her mother's death, five years ago.

--

1:32 pm found the two girls on the living room couch, Miley leaning into a seated Lilly who had her arms around the brunette's waist. Anxiety and fear hung in the air like an unexploded bomb; both acknowledged that at any moment, Miley's father could come through the door. Or not, which was even scarier.

Suddenly, the door slammed open. Jackson stood in the frame, pale as a ghost and trembling. Miley immediately sprang away from Lilly and rushed over to him, but he put out a hand to stop her. It took him a minute to speak, but when he did, the impact of his words hit both girls with tremendous force: "D-dad. He…tried to kill himself."


End file.
